How to remove humidity in a private house? How to remove moisture in the basement of a private house? Rating of dehumidifiers for home

High humidity in the house: harm

The optimal humidity setting is considered to be from 40 to 60%. The measurement is carried out using a hygrometer.

Increased humidity in the house, harm:

• If this indicator is much higher, the load on the organs of the respiratory system increases sharply, which can lead to serious diseases. But besides this, high humidity promotes the growth of mold and mildew.
• Mold appears on the walls, causing the destruction of the foundation as well as the walls. Over time, cracks may appear, which will lead to the rapid destruction of the house. Humidity must be dealt with, regardless of the reasons for its occurrence.

The source of moisture is under the floor

If there is no ventilation in the underground, it is necessary to equip it. Waterproofing walls and floors, sealing gaps and cracks help to significantly reduce the level of humidity at home. For this, waterproofing plaster is used.

Dampness in the cellar may appear due to leaky construction pits. To eliminate the problem, you need to seal it with waterproof clay (clay castle).

Foundation drainage device

Changes in groundwater levels lead to dampness in the house. To solve this problem, you need to properly organize the drainage system.

Another reason is poor foundation waterproofing.

In this case, vertical waterproofing is necessary:

• coating waterproofing;
• penetrating compounds;
• vertical lining of the foundation with waterproofing.

Note! The service life of waterproofing materials is not infinite. In an old house, it may be out of order.

How to remove moisture in the basement of a private house?

Most often, humidity in a private home is caused by improper operation or construction of a basement. If you notice the growth of fungus on the walls, or the smell of dampness inside the house, you need to go down to the basement. You may find a leak in your water supply and sewer system.

How to remove moisture in the basement of a private house:

• The ideal option is not only to deal with leaks, but also to insulate the pipes with insulation. This will shift the dew point and prevent the formation of condensation on the surface of the pipes.
• If high humidity in the basement is due to its improper design, you will have to take care of waterproofing. Walls and floors are treated with special compounds.
• If there are no ventilation windows in the basement, they must be made. The best option is if the basement is above ground level. In this case, a hole is made in the wall, bringing out the ventilation duct. If the basement is located below ground level, in this case it will be necessary to install ventilation shafts and pipes that go outside above ground level.
• To ensure that exclusively heated air enters the basement in winter, a device with heating elements is installed. Thus, with the help of a fan, air from the street is sucked into the room. But before getting inside the basement, it goes through a series of filters that absorb dust, allergens, and excess moisture. The purified air is supplied to the heater, which warms up the air.
• This is not just a device for heating the air and reducing humidity in the basement, but also a full-fledged filtration system. This option is suitable for installation in a house where there are small children, elderly people suffering from respiratory diseases. Such devices allow you not only to dry the air, but also to clean it of allergens, viruses and fungal spores.

Condensation on windows

Home remedies to combat fungus and dampness indoors

In addition to industrial compounds, you can use effective and inexpensive home-made products to combat fungus.

1. Take 0.5 kg of laundry soap, grate and dissolve in 5 liters of water.
2. Boil the resulting mixture and cool it.
3. In warm summer weather, brush several coats of soapy water onto moldy walls without wallpaper.
4. Then cover them with a composition prepared from 100 g of alum and 6 liters of water.

You can deal with dampness using calcium chloride, placing it in the corners. To reuse it, it must be dried under high temperatures and then covered. Charcoal and quicklime are suitable substitutes. However, when using this method, care should be taken to ensure that these substances are not accessible to children or pets.

How to remove humidity in the house in winter?

Sometimes the problem can only occur during the cold season. In this case, it is recommended to install dehumidifiers in the rooms. Without them, high humidity levels are recorded. Improperly designed ventilation contributes to increased humidity.

How to remove moisture in your home in winter:

• Also, high humidity inside the house is often due to the lack of a dressing room, a small air corridor that separates the front door from the rest of the rooms. It is in the area of ​​the front door that cold and warm air collide, resulting in a large amount of condensation forming on the surface of the door, on the inside.
• Often water flows over the surface of the door, which significantly increases the level of humidity inside the house. Over time, fungus and mold begin to develop in the area of ​​the door frame and on the walls. In this case, it is recommended to complete the construction of a small dressing room, install an additional door inside the house made of metal-plastic. This creates a small corridor containing air of average temperature.
• This will shift the dew point and prevent cold and warm air from colliding. To reduce humidity in a private home, they resort to installing heated floors, because dampness most often comes from below, that is, from the basement.
• The formation of large amounts of moisture and dampness is facilitated by savings on heating. Therefore, in winter, it is necessary to warm the house well so that excess moisture evaporates. In order not to spend huge amounts of money on gas and other energy resources used to heat a private home, it is recommended to insulate the walls. You should not do this from the inside; it is best to do the work from the outside. Very often, people who glue foam plastic inside the house are faced with the problem of high humidity in the walls and the formation of condensation. Therefore, foam layers are installed not inside the house, but outside. Thus, the dew point shifts towards the outer part of the wall.

Determining air humidity

This indicator is necessary for a person. If it is below normal, health problems may arise. When levels rise, walls, interior and exterior decoration of the house, furniture, and clothing suffer. These signs indicate that the marks are in an unacceptable range and the problem needs to be addressed.

Hygrometer

The simplest method to obtain accurate readings. A hygrometer is designed to measure the humidity of gases. When choosing a device for your home, you need to pay attention to the error. Its indicator should not exceed 1%. The mechanical device looks like a scale with a pointer, but there are more modern options. You can purchase an electronic apartment thermometer with a built-in hygrometer. Air humidity in the range of 40-60% is considered normal. For the bathroom and kitchen the figure may be slightly higher. If the marks obtained after measurement are higher than normal, it is necessary to establish the reasons for the discrepancy and look for methods to get rid of excess dampness in a separate room or the entire house.

Psychrometric table

A psychometric table is used to determine the humidity level in a room. This method is based on the use of two thermometers (dry and wet). Such a device is called a psychrometer.

To determine the concentration of water in the air, you must adhere to the following algorithm:

1. Mark the temperature indicator on paper (remove data from a room thermometer).
2. Wrap the end of the thermometer with a damp cloth and take new data after 5-7 minutes.
3. If the reading is higher than on a dry thermometer, the material must be moistened additionally and the measurement repeated.
4. Record the resulting indicator and compare it with the Assmann table.
5. The dry thermometer data is shown in the left column, and the difference between the indicators is in the top line.
6. The humidity indicator should be looked for at the intersection of two columns.

If the indicator is low, water from the moistened fabric will evaporate faster, and the temperature will rapidly drop.

Glass of water

This method is not considered accurate, so measurements are recommended if special instruments are not available. Work algorithm:

1. Fill a clear glass glass with water.
2. Cool the vessel and contents to +5°C. To do this, just keep it in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.
3. Place the container with water away from heating appliances and other heating elements.
4. Evaluate the result.

If the walls of the dishes fog up and become dry after 10-15 minutes, the air humidity level in the room is too low. If the fogged walls have not dried, and the drops themselves simply flow into the glass, we can state that the standards have been exceeded. The condensation remaining on the container, which does not flow down the container, indicates that the numbers are within normal limits.

Attention! This test has minimal accuracy; it is impossible to interpret the indicators and obtain a numerical value.

How to remove moisture in a wooden house?

An increase in humidity is associated with the tightness of the room. This is facilitated by plastic windows that do not let air into the room. Due to this, the air inside the house stagnates.

How to remove moisture in a wooden house:

• Old houses cannot boast of good ventilation shafts. Leaves, dust, and debris often settle in ventilation shafts, preventing normal air exchange.
• That is why it is recommended to clean the ventilation ducts from time to time. If this does not work, it is necessary to arrange forced air evacuation. For this, a special fan is installed.
• The power of the equipment is selected depending on the area of ​​the room and the level of humidity. The larger the area, the more powerful the fan should be. However, removing moist air does not always give a 100% result. The best option is supply and exhaust ventilation.
• Now it is not necessary to install any ventilation shafts or complex devices for this. At the moment, there are special climate control equipment on sale. It resembles a small pipe with it, one edge of which is mounted on the outside of the wall, and the second inside the house. A special filter device is connected to the inside of the ventilation duct.

Dehumidifier

Humidity due to poor ventilation

Very often, the cause of dampness is poor performance of the ventilation system or its complete absence. After eliminating this problem, the humidity level can be significantly reduced.

Ventilation cannot work properly due to:

• obstruction;
• poor sealing;
• improperly equipped exit above the roof;
• insufficient cross-sectional area of ​​the ventilation duct.

To restore normal ventilation, you need to invite a specialist. He will inspect the system and determine the cause of the problem.

A clogged system must be cleaned:

• remove the grille;
• wash it with detergent;
• remove dirt from the walls using a scraper;
• vacuum the channel;
• wash it with a damp cloth (as far as your hand can reach);
• put the ventilation grille in place.

The ventilation shaft is clogged.
At high humidity, you can use a forced ventilation system: reversible, exhaust or supply. It is installed in the ventilation duct. When there is no ventilation in the house at all, you need to make a through hole in the wall and install a recuperator in it. It must be covered with bars from the inside and outside.

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Another reason for dampness is improper installation of double-glazed windows. If mold appears on the window slopes, you need to level them and foam the cracks again. To prevent condensation from settling on the glass, do not clutter the window sills. This prevents the normal circulation of warm air. Window sills that are too large lead to the same consequences. To fix this, you need to drill holes in them.

Important! Fans, hoods and air conditioners need to be cleaned regularly. Otherwise, the device itself will become a source of bacteria and mold.

Windows that are too sealed are also a cause of increased humidity. How to lower the humidity level in this case? The problem of dampness can be solved using a window pressure ventilator, a hydraulically controlled ventilation valve or a vent fan. You can simply remove the rubber seal on top of the window frame. There is no need to do this with all double-glazed windows at once: first treat one window, then (if that doesn’t help) the next one, and continue until the result is obtained.

Humidity in the house, windows sweating: what to do?

Very often, indoor humidity increases due to the installation of plastic windows. Many residents of private houses try to save money by installing plastic windows with just one air chamber. This is not enough, especially during severe frosts.

Humidity in the house, windows sweat:

• When the temperature outside is sub-zero, the dew point is located indoors, namely in the area of ​​double-glazed windows. Drops of condensation appear on the surface of the glass, which flow down, provoking the growth of mold in the area of ​​the seal and in the slope area. To correct the situation, it is necessary to install new plastic windows with a large number of cameras inside. The best option is two or three chamber windows. The more layers of air there are in the glass unit, the less likely it is that condensation will form on the surface of the glass.
• The most problems occur in the kitchen and bathroom. In the kitchen, food is constantly being prepared; as a result of boiling liquid, water vapor evaporates, increasing the humidity in the room. The exact same situation occurs when taking a shower.
• In the kitchen, it is recommended to install not only a standard kitchen hood, which absorbs steam during the cooking process, but also an additional fan with forced ventilation. In the upper part of the kitchen, right under the ceiling, make a small hole, inside which a fan is installed. If the hood fails to remove vapors during cooking, the remainder will be absorbed by the fan. While cooking, you can open the windows for ventilation so that excess moisture goes outside.

The cause of dampness is the roof and walls

Conventional heating methods help warm the air in the home. They are not able to warm up the walls. Condensation forms on cold surfaces. Because of this, the humidity in the room increases.

You can correct the situation using:

• heating convector;
• infrared heater;
• increasing the footage of the heating system;
• arrangement of heated floors;
• thermal and waterproofing of walls.

Note! Do not apply finishing materials with high acidity to affected surfaces. Mold spores thrive in such an environment. It is better to give preference to compounds with a neutral or alkaline reaction.

When dampness “sets in”, wet stains appear on the wallpaper, mold spots appear on the ceiling and under it. This is caused by holes in the roof and damaged gutters. Waterproofing the ceiling will not help here. The water will soak into the walls and still seep into the house.

The work must be done from the attic side. To eliminate the causes, it must be examined. Then, if necessary, carry out waterproofing and restoration work. It is necessary to carefully treat the cracks, cracks and joints. Clogged gutters can be cleared out using a garden hose.

Working principle of a home dehumidifier

The best option is to purchase modern devices, which can be desktop, stationary or wall-mounted. The larger the device, the higher its power and noise. Some powerful models of dehumidifiers are floor-mounted and have a high noise level. That is why they are recommended to be installed in large houses and apartments.

Working principle of a dehumidifier for home:

• The air is sucked into the device by a forced fan, where it is cooled using freon or other refrigerant.
• As a result of sudden cooling, water droplets in the mixture fall inside the device, and air is supplied to the heating element.
• After heating, it enters the room. In this way, it is possible to maintain the air temperature, but rid it of moisture.

Dehumidifier

Reasons for education

Before you deal with moisture, you need to find its source. Often dampness on the walls is the result of a complex of reasons. The most common of them:

• Leaks - occur when the water supply system, sewer pipe, or roof roof is damaged;
• Poor ventilation;
• Unsuitable waterproofing of floors and foundations;
• A large number of house plants;
• External factors - proximity to a river, heavy rains, groundwater, etc.

However, the most important factor in high humidity is the person himself. Under normal conditions, an adult produces up to 2.5 liters of water vapor per day, including that during cooking, washing, water procedures, etc. Even a slight deviation from the norm, for example, when drying clothes in the bathroom, is fraught with consequences.

Rating of dehumidifiers for home

It is impossible to single out one dehumidifier that will cope with all tasks, regardless of the characteristics of the room. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to adequately assess the humidity level of the room, its area and the tasks of the device. If the room is small, a dehumidifier is purchased for the basement or dressing room, which constantly smells damp, low-power models that operate at an intensity of 10-20 liters per day will be sufficient. If this is a large room or a one-room apartment, then devices with a capacity of 40 liters per day are recommended.

Rating of dehumidifiers for home:

• Royal clima 100 is a wall-mounted device that requires preliminary installation. Designed for a large area. It is mainly purchased for installation not in apartments, but in warehouses, swimming pools and car washes. Accordingly, this device is not suitable for home use, but it is a good option for baths, saunas and other rooms with very high humidity.
• Funai yamaneko is a device that has an interesting design and is installed in large rooms. The device is capable of pumping out up to 60 liters of water per day. This is a good option for gym showers. If you live on the ground floor of a private cottage, then this is a good option for drying clothes inside the house.
• Ballu bdm-30l is a very simple model that is designed for 30 square meters. A universal option as it can be moved. It is lightweight and can absorb up to 6.5 liters of liquid per day. It works quite quietly, so you can safely use it inside children's rooms where children sleep.
• Electrolux em-25 l is a good device that is designed for one-room apartments, rooms with an area of ​​about 30 square meters. Noisier than the previous version, but more powerful. There is a filter inside the device that not only dries the air, but also absorbs dust and microorganisms. A good option for children's rooms to maintain an optimal microclimate.
• Neoclima nd-40ah is a good option for a large apartment with an area of ​​about 50 square meters. The design of the equipment is not as stylish as in the previous version. There is a liquid crystal display on the case, with which control is carried out.

How to get rid of musty smell on clothes?

A solution of table salt and ammonia helps remove the smell of dampness from clothes. To prepare it you need to take:

• water – 1 l;
• salt – 2 tbsp. l.;
• liquid ammonia - 1 tbsp. l.

Place the prepared mixture on the stove and boil for 1 hour, then dilute it in 10 liters of water and use it to soak things. Leave the clothes in the water for 1 hour, and then wash them in the washing machine with powder and fabric softener.

Advice! You can also soak clothes in water with the addition of vinegar at the rate of 1 tbsp. l. for 1 l. Soak for 2 hours, then wash with conditioner added.

It is recommended to iron textiles dried in the fresh air at the maximum permissible temperature. You can use special perfumed water for the iron.

Under the influence of internal factors, the air humidity in a private house or apartment increases for some time, and then normalizes on its own. If the problem is constantly present, you need to look for its provocateur among external causes. Perhaps the hood is not working correctly, and the liquid along with the steam simply does not have time to be removed.

How to remove humidity in the house: folk remedies

The easiest way to reduce humidity is to use small household dehumidifiers. This is a small device that is charged with special tablets. There are a large number of similar tablets that absorb moisture. They all work on the principle of silica gel, drawing moisture from the air. But it is advisable to use these devices only if the increase in moisture is seasonal, for example, in winter in private homes. They are usually installed in corridors or dressing rooms where mold growth is observed due to condensation on the walls and doors. This technique is not effective enough, although it is inexpensive. There are a few simple tips to help eliminate high humidity in your home.

How to remove humidity in the house, folk remedies:

• Instead of flowers in large pots, buy succulents. These are plants like cacti that do not require regular spraying and watering.
• In the kitchen and bathroom, place containers with charcoal briquettes. This is regular barbecue charcoal. It is poured into small baskets and installed in rooms with the highest humidity. Charcoal is an excellent absorbent and is often used in dehumidifiers.
• Hang clothes to dry on the balcony. It is best to dry clothes outside. At home, moisture that evaporates from clothes goes into the air. Get rid of a lot of carpet. It has been proven that they absorb moisture first. Fungus and mold can form on their reverse side.
• The most affordable and simplest way to remove excess moisture is table salt. It is necessary to place containers with salt around the apartment in different rooms, because it absorbs moisture well.
• Use essential oil with the scent of pine needles and flowers. Essential oil not only improves the smell of indoor spaces, but also fights mold.
• Calcium chloride. This product can be purchased at a pharmacy . You must buy the product in powder form. It is poured into wide cups or saucers, placed in rooms.
• You can also find silica gel on sale. It is poured into a fabric bag and hung in places with high levels of dampness. For example, in the bathroom or closet.

Read interesting articles on the topic on our website:

• Why do clothes stink after washing them in the machine? After washing, the smell of sewage, dampness, powder: reasons, what to do?
• 8 tips on how to remove unpleasant odors in the house, from dampness, mold, sewerage, smoke, septic tank, cat
• Damp smell: causes, traditional methods of elimination, tips

It’s also worth focusing on houses that have aquariums and indoor plants. Indeed, indoor plants need constant spraying with water, as a result of which the indoor humidity increases. It is recommended to allocate a separate room for indoor plants or to equip greenhouses for them, where it will be possible to maintain a high level of humidity.

In rooms with large aquariums, the humidity increases. To reduce it, it is necessary to install dehumidifiers nearby. These are special devices whose operating principles are different. There may be various fillers inside the devices. Most often it is silica gel, which absorbs moisture from the air. From time to time, such dehumidifiers must be opened and the filler replaced with a new one. After all, over time, the absorber gains moisture, becomes wet, and no longer absorbs water from the air.

The best remedies for dampness

There are a number of industrial products that are designed to combat dampness and its consequences. However, each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages:

1. Biocide . Removes fungus indoors and outdoors. It is distinguished by its high efficiency and equally high cost (from 800 rubles per 10 liters), which many consumers attribute to the lack of the product.

1. Dali is a domestic drug that stands out for its affordability (from 150 rubles for 0.6 l) and high efficiency rates. The product can be applied to any surface, including wallpaper and ceramic tiles.

1. Fongifluid . Sold as a ready-made solution that can be applied to most surfaces and coatings. Consumers note low consumption of the product and affordable cost (from 550 rubles for 2 liters).

Gavrilova Lyudmila Sergeevna, 43. In the new house, the entire kitchen was infected with fungus. My husband bought the cheapest Dali preparation, which we generously smeared on all surfaces in the room. After subsequent repairs, the fungus did not appear again, and we only carried out cosmetics.

It will be easier to remove dampness from your home if you know for sure the source of its appearance and spread. You can cope with this task yourself, or with the help of specialists.

A little more useful stuff

Fighting dampness in your home is important and necessary. Humidity greatly affects the health of everyone living in the apartment - people and animals. High levels of humidity provoke the development of mold, which further damages your health. Sometimes removing the smell of dampness is not enough - if the fungus has come to live in the house, then it will have to be eradicated. Otherwise, problems will inevitably come:

• asthma;
• bronchitis;
• pneumonia and other respiratory diseases;
• damage to hair and nails;
• dermatitis, ulcers and other skin diseases;
• varying degrees of allergies, including death.

The prospect is not pleasant, so you need to get rid of dampness in the house. If you eliminate the causes of dampness, then you don’t have to worry about mold - without high humidity it almost never appears.

What is mold

Spores, hyphae, colonies - all this is about mold. Molds are microscopic fungi whose body consists of branching threads (hyphae). Molds are everywhere: most of all in the soil, but there is also plenty of them in the air. One cubic meter of street air contains thousands of mold spores. And inside premises, including residential ones, you can find several dozen and sometimes hundreds of spores per 1 m3.

Mold spores can enter the skin and respiratory tract of humans and animals and cause various negative reactions or even long-term illnesses. For example, black molds are known for their allergenic properties. If the cause is not recognized and eliminated in time, then the allergy can develop into bronchial asthma.

However, not in every room mold forms colonies visible to the naked eye - gray, black, whitish spots on walls and objects. What are the causes of mold?

Remedies

Having found the cause of the formation of high humidity and eliminated it, you can begin to dry the room. Expensive methods such as the use of heat guns are only necessary to eliminate the consequences of flooding or for very large rooms. In an apartment or private house, the following measures can quickly eliminate dampness on the walls:

• Heater – the device provides air convection; even a small heater will cope with the task in 1-2 days;
• Household dehumidifier - the power of the unit is determined by the size of the home; to eliminate dampness on 50 m², a device with a power of 400 W is sufficient;
• Silica gel is a substance that absorbs moisture and organic vapors from the air; for household use it is supplied in the form of granules, they need to be spread out in a damp room; drying can last up to a week;

Finally, dampness is negatively affected by rising temperatures in the home. Using the heating system or fireplace at full power, you can dry the walls relatively quickly. However, the method is not suitable for houses made of timber - due to direct exposure to high temperatures, wooden structures can crack.